


Through Deadly Eyes

by Celestial_Lorekeeper



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Draal is younger than Blinky and Aaarrrggghh by a lot in this, Draal's POV, Some headcanon involved, Spans all the seasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-05-25 21:30:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14986022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestial_Lorekeeper/pseuds/Celestial_Lorekeeper
Summary: Scenes from the series (or that can be speculated happened behind the scenes) as viewed through the eyes of Draal the Deadly. Expect much feels and internal thoughts and everything from angst to friendship to humor and back. (Semi-Perma Hiatus: see author's note in last chapter)





	1. Loss

**Author's Note:**

> Though I've stated this in another story yet to be transferred over here, well before I knew Draal was actually at the Battle of Killahead Bridge I reasoned him to be younger than Blinky and Aaarrrggghh, born after the Trolls arrived in Arcadia Oaks after the trip aboard the Mayflower. That timeline, as it were, is used as a basis for some of the behavior and thoughts in this fic. Just wanted to get that out there so that anyone who follows the canon more won't be caught off-guard if I make reference to my 'headcanon.'

L **oss**

 

It was like Aaarrrggghh had forsaken his vows and punched him in the gut. No, it was like Bular _and_ Gunmar had _both_ punched him, first in the gut and then in the chest.

The Trollhunter was dead.

Kanjigar the Courageous was dead!

_Kanjigar, his father – WAS DEAD!_

Of course it was only natural that it was Blinkous and Aaarrrggghh who were the ones to tell Draal of the mighty warrior's passing. They had been two of Kanjigar's closest friends, after all. Their grief was bared for Draal to see, tears in their eyes and Blinkous' voice had broken in the telling. Even now the Krubera was turning his head away to wipe at his emerald eyes.

Draal wanted to weep with them. His knees wanted to buckle and his heart was both thundering and threatening to stop in his chest at the same time. He wanted to scream denial and rush to the canal grate to see with his own eyes the horrible truth, or beat Blinkous until he recanted the lie. His emotions were boiling over, hands clenched tightly at his sides to mask their shaking.

But that was deep inside. Outwardly he just stared at the scholar with a blank expression, eyes shedding no tears and standing motionless. He was a warrior, a _Troll_ warrior! To grieve and mourn as he wanted to was weakness, and he would tolerate no weakness within him.

Not even for this.

"Draal?" Blinkous asked softly, perhaps unsure whether or not the large Troll had heard him.

"Thank you," Draal heard himself say, though his spirit felt like it was miles away and someone else was speaking for him, "for telling me. Of course I will see to his body, when it is night out." They nodded, and merely watched as Draal walked away, not following.

No one spoke to the warrior on his way. Did they know, or could they just sense that to say the wrong thing, or _anything,_ at this moment would bring dire consequences down on themselves? He didn't know, and honestly didn't care. If they _were_ unknowing they'd find that rectified shortly. The deaths of Trollhunters didn't remain secret for long.

Draal returned to their – no, _his_ – home and went inside. It was quiet, and empty.

So empty, now. It was like his father's spirit, his very memory, had fled along with his life.

For a moment Draal just stood there, in the dark, watching the outside lights of Trollmarket highlight furniture that his father had used Draal's entire life. The table and chairs where they shared rare meals and now where Draal would eternally eat alone, the open doorway to Kanjigar's … former... room, where he'd never take rest again. It gleamed off of Kanjigar's – now _Draal's_ – extensive weapons collection, some from even the War against Gunmar.

With a sudden, violent action Draal grabbed one of the said weapons, infuriated with it as its continual existence mocked its owner's demise, and flung it into the opposite wall so hard it buried hilt-deep. Then, silently, he sank to his knees, and let the tears come, because only the weapons would ever know.


	2. Impossible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Draal starts being a jerk. (Sorry, Draal! You kinda were early on!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this and the next chapter are a little light on the inner thoughts part, but that's because I was trying to represent Draal as being very aggressive and anger-blind in these segments, where he's acting honestly like a jerk. Also as I briefly mentioned before though I know Season 3 confirmed beyond any doubt that he is old enough to have been at the Battle of Killahead Bridge, in keeping with some of my previous stories 'timelines' I'm setting Draal as younger than Blinky and Aaarrrggghh, and not having been at the battle or even born yet at the time. I apologize if this slight skewing in ages bothers anyone.

**Impossible**

Draal remained in seclusion for more than a day following the news of his father's demise, left in peace by the community at large out of respect. But finally he emerged by all appearances fully composed and in control of himself, seeking Blinkous for more information about where his father had perished. Recovery of his remains would only be more difficult the longer it was delayed, and of course the Amulet must be brought back as well. But to his shock he was informed by several clustered Trolls on the street that the scholar was away from Trollmarket.

Hmph. That was annoying. But little he could do about it. It was a bit strange, as he'd not known Blinkous to leave the hidden community, though he we well aware that sometimes the bookish Troll would sneak into human libraries and bookstores to add to his collection. Or perhaps he was beginning the task of recovering his father's remains, and hadn't wanted to disturb Draal's solitude.

"Humans!"

"Huh?" Draal was pulled out of his reflective stroll through Trollmarket by the word, spoken in alarmed tones, and had come upon a small crowd.

And before them? Blinkous, Aaarrrggghh, and two humans. The shorter Troll was trying to calm down the crowd, but Draal rather forcefully pushed his way through, demanding answers as both Blinkous and the two humans cowered away from him.

Good, at least that was as it should be. But what answers Blinkous gave!

The instant the words hit the air, Draal's rage turned white-hot. He barely heard the gasps of shock behind him for the ringing in his ears.

This human – was the Trollhunter? Impossible! He wasn't even a Troll! It was nothing less than in insult to his father's memory and the memory of all past Trolls who had held the office!

The human was a weakling on top of it, stumbling back when Draal slammed his fists into the ground before him so that he bumped into Aaarrrggghh.

"Amulet chose." The big Troll pointed out. Draal just roared, further cowering the human pretender as Blinkous tried to settle things without further confrontation. But that was when the other human – a walking Pyrobligst ball – spoke up, telling 'Jimbo' -what kind of name was that? - to show that he was the Trollhunter. Draal stepped back, highly skeptical especially when the fleshbag began to speak.

By Merlin, he didn't even say the incantation right! Draal wanted to rip him apart right then from the insult of it all. But then amazingly the Amulet responded and clad him in the armor of the Trollhunter, Daylight quite visible on his back.

Armor Draal should've been wearing.

A sword he should've been wielding.

Clearly the fleshbag had no idea who he was dealing with, though Draal was quick to inform him, and reached out to physicall pull the Amulet away from this... blasphemer!

Only for it to detonate a burst of magic, propelling him one way to the ground and the human – Draal would never give him even a token bit of honor by referring to him as 'Trollhunter!' - into Aaarrrggghh's bracing hands. Okay, that was a little surprising.

And in truth, stinging. The Amulet, in view of everyone, without hesitation or consideration of his bloodline and skills as a warrior, had rejected Draal.

Well, one thing to do about it. As they walked away, Draal went to alert Vendel to this development.

Vendel returned after speaking with the Trollhunter, where Draal was waiting, to report that the Soothscryer had not rejected the new Trollhunter, but not immediately accepted him either. It would need more time.

Draal snorted, but as he'd been waiting he decided that if he couldn't take the Amulet by force – alright, in the interim given time to think a bit, he had to admit that was a bad idea from the start and wouldn't have worked with the Amulet having clearly chosen the fleshbag – he would just see how tough this human was.

And by that determine just how long he might have to wait to claim what was rightfully his.


	3. First Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And Draal is still acting kinda like a jerk in this....

**First Fight**

Draal was there when the Trollhunter began his first official day of training, and he was more than eager to see how this would go.

Especially with his little plan in place.

He entered the Hero's Forge and happily offered himself as a sparring partner for the Trollhunter. Blinkous tried to deny the fact that it was part of a Trollhunter's training to spar with others, but Vendel, in on Draal's plan, spoke up from the risers and pretty much sealed the fleshbag's fate.

Oh, and what a fate that proved to be!

Vendel signaled them to begin, and Draal didn't give him much more than one breath to prepare. And from then on he never let up.

Hit after hit, punch after punch, he struck the Trollhunter to the ground. It was pathetic. It was an insult to all that being the Trollhunter meant!

And oh was it satisfying to punish the fleshbag who dared steal what was rightfully Draal's!

Finally gripping the human in one single hand, the Troll warrior held him over the stones far below. The human cried out in fear, scrambling at Draal's hands.

"I've waited my entire life to inherit the Amulet," he informed the fleshbag whose life was literally in his hand. "I can wait until you fall in battle." With that he clenched his fist so tight that even in the armor the fleshbag felt the pain of it, crying out, then dropped him on the edge. "I suspect I don't have to wait very long. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down and live, worm." Point well proven, he laughed and turned away, quite satisfied with his display of just how pathetic the fleshbag was.

For the next day he reveled in his victory, as easy as it came. He told many what had happened in the Forge, how he had pummeled the human, and among many at the bar it became a favored tell, especially after Draal had downed a couple mugs and really got into the details.

Regardless of who else might be in the room, hearing every word such as Blinkous and Aaarrrggghh. In a way Draal didn't care that they were able to hear him. They had been his father's friends! Yet they had just gone along with the fleshbag being Trollhunter, ignoring how insulting it was. They had betrayed Kanjigar's memory, that was all there was to it, and Draal would have no more respect for them.

He was in fact right in the middle of a retelling of the story and saying how he'd love another chance to wail on the fleshbag some more when something amazing happened, something that actually surprised him immensely.

And yet pleased him quite a bit all the same.

Draal had been lifting his mug to take another drink when someone grabbed it by the rim and slammed it back down onto the table, in his susprise the Troll not even resisting the motion, Troll beer splattering everywhere on his hand and arm and the table and the other person's hand and arm.

The Trollhunter.

"Wish granted, loudmouth. Rematch."

And everyone in the bar had heard it. Challenge given, and challenge accepted.

As requested, Draal stated the time - a week later - and the place was of course the Hero's Forge, where everyone could bear witness. Then Draal walked away, rather pleased.

He not only would do all of Trollkind a favor and end this farce, but prove once and for all that he was his father's rightful successor!


	4. Honor Duel, Honor Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle between Draal and Jim for the Amulet and position as Trollhunter. Or, the last chapter in which Draal is kinda a jerk.

**H** **onor Duel, Honor Broken**

It was...

Impossible.

And yet it was.

Draal had been beaten in honorable combat – by the new Trollhunter, Jim Lake Junior, son of Bar-buh-rah.

And what was in a way worse? Not only at the human defeated him – even Draal could admit it was a fairly-won victory – he had decided instead of ending the Troll warrior's life to show mercy, spare the son of his predecessor. And why?

_"House rules, not mine."_

Simply because he had not wanted to take Draal's life.

Draal stood in his darkened house, silent and alone, trying to figure out the exact moment everything had gone so wrong.

He could still hear the phantom sounds of the rematch. How everyone watching had cheered when Vendel announced him into the Hero's Forge. How loudly they called his name as he battered the human back and forth, only the Armor of Daylight protecting him from a quick end. Yes, it's true that the human got in a lucky blow, throwing his sword to stop Draal's rolling charge in its tracks, but that was the sole time that trick worked for him and his upper hand quickly flipped back.

Then... then the whole world had turned on its head.

Ok, Draal had to give the human credit. Even _he_ knew 'rule number three,' a move his own father had used in one of the historic battles waged during the Trolls' first journey to their new home in this new land centuries past. Though unexpected, it was a fair blow in Troll combat.

(What was that silly human rule of no aiming below the belt? Seriously?)

And then, taking advantage of Draal's temporary incapacitation because the blow had plain and simple _hurt_ to duck behind him – that took some cunning. Somehow (Blinkous's sideline cheering gave some clue) the human had reasoned out Draal's weakness: the fact that given the arrangement of spikes on his back he couldn't see behind himself very easily or well. That gave the human time to think, time to catch his breath while Draal was trying to find him and to formulate a plan. And it was a good one. Time the swinging axe-blades, get close to one, then bait Draal in with a taunt about how the Amulet chose _him_. Simple, yet efficient.

Draal was beaten without even a single swing of Daylight touching him.

Hurled through the air, stunned, it was a last-minute reaction that let him grab the ledge with one hand before he plummeted into the lava far below. Now the crowd, cheering for their victorious Trollhunter who had seemingly done the impossible, started up the chant: "Finish it!" The fleshbag had come to stand over Draal, who knew it was done. He had lost, and now would perish.

But then the human had lifted Daylight – making Draal cringe at the thought that his father's sword (could he ever think of Daylight any other way?) ending his life – then instead of stabbing it into Draal's vulnerable head or neck, or into his arm so he fell, plunged it deep into the stone to use as an anchor to pull Draal to safety.

_"House rules, not mine."_

That had been the moment that Draal felt something break inside: his pride. He left the Hero's Forge to the unnoticed jeers of the crowd, and returned home by the back ways and lesser-used streets.

Now he was debating what to do. He couldn't remain in Trollmarket, not after that sound defeat. His honor had been torn to shreds by the Trollhunter...

"No," Draal realized, looking at his father's collection of weapons, " _he_ didn't destroy my honor... I did that _myself_." He sat down heavily, head in his hands. "Ever since my father's death I have acted in every way the exact _opposite_ of who the Trollhunter is supposed to be! Everything I saw in my father and admired with everything I am, I forgot the moment I learned I wasn't the next chosen. And in its place I let my pride and arrogance control me. _That_ is why the Amulet chose the fleshbag – he showed more honor, courage, and dignity today than I have in the last several." He let his arms drop down into his lap, though his gaze remained on the floor. "I'm sorry, father... I have dishonored us both."

For a minute he remained still, sorrowful, then a thought lanced through him like a lightning bolt.

"I _have_ to regain my honor, somehow! But not by challenging the Trollhunter again. No, though I may not like it he is the Amulet's rightful bearer now, whyever he was chosen." Another thought careened into the first and all at once he had an answer to both his problems. "Humans are weaker than Trolls, and are active during the day but must rest at night, when Bular will be hunting him. He also has living family who will be unprotected in their flimsy human house. I will regain my honor by finding out where he lives, swallowing my pride, and offering to help protect his house and family while he sleeps and is away. I will earn my honor back by aiding the Trollhunter in the only way I can, as any decent Troll should." He stood, deciding to act before he could second guess himself, and went to accomplish one final task – a visit to Vendel to voice a single request - before he would leave Trollmarket for good.

Though like a bully he had insulted his father's best friends more than once and didn't deserve this kind of consideration from them, there was no one else he would trust with his father's possessions and seeing to his father's remains than Blinkous and Aaarrrggghh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I admit with the ending of this chapter I was doing some speculation of my own. I never caught a reason for Draal to just decide to go to live at Jim's place and protect it – might be something covered in one of the books or something that I haven't read – but I thought that a sense of reclaiming lost honor would be reasonably IC for Draal. If this clashes with anything in canon, just consider it AU.


	5. Honor Bound

**Honor Bound**

As soon as the sun had gone all the way down Draal left Trollmarket – one of the rare times he ever did so – to try and find this Lake residence. Thankfully one thing would help him in this: his sense of smell. Trolls used that almost as much as they used their eyes to find their way and he'd had ample opportunity to learn the other's scent in their battle.

It took him quite a bit to get there – the fleshbag seemed to move about the city quite a bit after their conflict – but finally he found the place where the scent was the strongest... and he picked up another scent on the nighttime air, one he hadn't expected to detect ever again. His eyes narrowed, and as he heard sounds of a scuffle he darted forward.

_Seems I'll have to start regaining my honor much sooner than intended!_

As he entered the house, barely bothering to try and not break the front door, he heard familiar taunting voice from above, followed by a familiar whistled tune. A female fleshbag lay slumped on the table in the other room – the Trollhunter's mother, likely – but Draal could see she was breathing, thus not dead and of no immediate concern. He ran towards the noise, climbing the stairs and found just whom he expected to find.

Only Nomura ever whistled that particular human song.

They clashed with just as much violence as they had once held feelings for one another. Eventually Draal baited her outside so they wouldn't bring the entire house down on their heads.

That would kind of defeat his notion to protect it and its residents, wouldn't it?

Their battle raged out in front of the house, then over the rooftop and into the backyard. Though he took a few blows including one to the inside of his arm that hurt and would likely leave a new scar as they traded strikes, and she was able to get under his skin with a few insults, he eventually had enough of her and simply grabbed her swords when she foolishly attempted to bring them down on top of his head, spinning her and slinging her far away.

"Impure," he sneered, spitting afterwards as if the very word left a bad taste in his mouth. Then Draal turned to see the Trollhunter standing in the doorway. He sighed. "You... were right." Yes, he'd heard the Trollhunter's shouts about the Changelings in Arcadia Oaks, and he'd seen the proof of that right before his eyes this night. A shame he wouldn't be able to return to Trollmarket and verify the human's words; as things stood his own word would mean less than a gnome's to the rest of Trollkind.

"So you're not here to kill me?" the boy cautiously asked, Daylight held defensively in front of him and eyes questioning.

"Not kill," the Troll answered as he approached the human. "Protect." That seemed to be a relief to the Trollhunter as he sagged slightly and the armor and sword vanished, the Amulet dropping to the ground and rolling to a stop in the grass between them. Draal picked it up and held it in his hand for a moment, as the human looked at him uncertainly – how often Draal had desired to have the Amulet in his grip just like this, and surely the fleshbag could guess that after all that happened between them.

Then Draal held it out, back to its rightful bearer.

"Take it," he insisted, glancing aside and trying to ignore the sting in his heart even as he borrowed a phrase from the human before him. "Don't make it weird." Only then did the Trollhunter take it back and Draal walked past him into the house, eager to settle in and get started on regaining his honor, getting past this initial awkwardness.

"You gonna be okay?" the human hesitantly asked, something of a surprise. After all Draal had done to him, all the insults and beatings in the Forge, he was worried about the _Troll's_ well-being?

"I am. But are you?" Might as well impart some wisdom to the boy, ironically some things his father had passed on to him, as he looked around. "Your battles won't always be waged in arenas. You won't always have time to prepare, to study your opponent for weaknesses as you did me. You - " Draal approached the so-much smaller human who held the highest honor in all of Trollkind. " - are the Trollhunter. It is time to start being _afraid_." He sighed; this was the hard part, because if the fleshbag refused...what then? "Since I cannot go back to Trollmarket, I will guard your home."

"I – I don't think my mother would be down with that." The fleshbag looked at Bar-bu-rah worriedly and moved to her side to take off her glasses, making her a bit more comfortable as Draal gave the room a sniff, searching for some place he could stay safe from the sun and from discovery. A door behind him proved promising, and opening it he found stairs leading down into an underground chamber full of boxes and a table and a fire-box with pipes that ran up into the ceiling. He absently pulled out one of the coals from within and munched on it – not bad, actually! - then turned to the human as he came downstairs.

"This is nice. Here I shall protect you and your fleshbag mother, Bar-bu-rah." He pulled a couple handfuls from the fire as he spoke and spread them on the floor to cool a bit.

"Mmm...close enough." Well, despite initial hesitation he didn't seem too bothered by the arrangement, at least! Granted, Draal knew he hadn't really given the human a whole lot of options, but in truth if it had been pressed Draal would've had to leave. After how badly he'd destroyed his honor before, the Troll couldn't bear to heap more dishonor on himself.

"Your mother will awaken soon," he pointed out instead. "I protect. I do not clean."

"Right. Yep." The fleshbag began heading back upstairs, grabbing a broom on the way. "I'll get right on that." Draal mentally sighed, but he couldn't let their conversation end on that kind of note.

"Fleshbag..." He snorted, pushing down his pride and admitting the truth to himself. In handling Normura as he had, in not letting her kill him within the first few seconds, and after what had happened in the Forge, Draal was starting to feel there was something to this human –Jim – after all that he hadn't seen but the Amulet had _besides_ his honor. "Maybe you'll make a good Trollhunter, after all." He approached as he finished. "When that time comes, I will be proud to fight by your side." The human slowly smiled, seeming surprised if his slightly widening eyes were any indication but at the same time pleased by the sentiment, then reached out and rested a comradely hand on Draal's shoulder.

"Thanks Draal." With that, he headed upstairs to begin making it look like nothing untoward had happened aside from his mother falling asleep at the table.

Draal returned to the fire and his perfectly-cooled coals, settling in to eat and get used to his new home and occupation. Maybe... it wouldn't be so bad.


	6. Teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draal begins teaching Jim and starts to realize this human is more remarkable than he first thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thank you to my reviewers on fanfiction.net: Forever-Furuba for in a previous review and discussion pointing out how different living at the Lake residence would be to Trollmarket for Draal, and to Oliver 2016 for making a note for me to make sure to include the Sword Reflection scene and not accidentally miss it!

**Teacher**

Living at the Lake residence was quite an adjustment for Draal. He spent much of that first night exploring the room he was in, finding out where he could easily and thoroughly hide just in case Bar-bu-rah were to come down, what was on hand that he could eat until he could establish something with the Trollhunter, and where was comfortable to sleep. He also made a note of the room's sole window, a possible source of sunlight in the daytime hours.

And, for the first time in Draal's many centuries of life, he was in a dwelling where there were no memories. Oh, there were signs of the Trollhunter and his fleshbag mother everywhere, their scents and their belongings and just generally _them_ , but there were no memories for _him._ When he laid down and closed his eyes he could just about trick himself into believing he was back home, but then he would open them and wouldn't see the chest that held his belongings, or look to a wall when he was by the fire and see Kanjigar's weapon collection.

Whereas before he'd stood in his home and felt Kanjigar's absence keenly, this was a place where the celebrated Trollhunter had never been, nor ever would be. It was in ways intensely saddening, to feel that separation from home and heritage so keenly, but at the same time it was renewing. Here Draal was forming a new beginning, a new life one might say. A chapter closed, and another opening.

Privately he wondered whether or not he should be comfortable with this change.

It was drawing on evening, and Draal had awoken from a long afternoon sleep in the shadowed shelter of some shelving. He knew that the Trollhunter's mother would be out this night at work – she was a healer, he'd come to find out, quite a respectable occupation even if it seemed to be one that kept her away from home (Draal found he could sympathize) - so when he heard noise from up above he felt safe in investigating.

After a quick peek and listen at the barely-opened basement door Draal came out, looking towards the source of the sound to see the Trollhunter and his round friend whose name he still hadn't caught. They were in the backyard were they would be safe from prying eyes, the Trollhunter clad in his armor and with Daylight in hand.

And they were... what were they doing?

For a moment Draal just stood there, baffled as the shorter human threw random things – some kind of round fruit first, then a stack of papers – at the Trollhunter for him to cut, flinching away as each one detonated slightly when struck. When he finally processed this, Draal knew he had to intervene.

"What is this mockery?"

When the fleshbag had answered that they were training, Draal coolly reminded him of the importance of the sword and that it wasn't a plaything, and the human's role hoping to provoke some respect for the position of Trollhunter... and then the Trollhunter had offered to let him hold Daylight. Swing it. He'd snorted, thinking it some kind of mocking jest, but then the human had sincerely held it out, offering the blade for Draal's hand.

Draal felt his heart start thundering as his expression reflected his surprise. Even when his Father had been Trollhunter he'd never permitted Draal to actually hold the blade, though he had touched it on occasion. Kanjigar had always told Draal that if he was to ever wield it, he would be chosen as Trollhunter. That hadn't come to be, but here was the chance he'd always yearned for!

Draal sucked in a startled breath, then hesitantly reached out to wrap his hand around the grip, taking it from where the Trollhunter had balanced it on his palms. The warrior lifted the blade up above his head – and were it not for the unexpectedness of it he might have cried out loud in shock. Kanjigar! He saw his father's face reflecting back at him in the blade, rather than his own! He felt scalding tears burn at his eyes – then he turned the blade slightly, the reflection was gone, and the blade glowed brilliant blue, vanishing from his hand and back into its rightful wielder's.

"Sorry. I forgot." The human sounded sincerely apologetic, and somehow Draal believed he was. He sighed, forcing himself to accept he would never carry Daylight in hand.

"If my destiny is to not hold the sword, perhaps it is to teach you to properly wield it." He cast about for something to use, then saw a floor lamp on the grass. That would do. He picked it up and tossed aside the shade, then began swinging it as he might a sword. The two humans quickly backed out of the Troll's way as he went into one of his practice routines, spinning it and his body around until he brought the piece of furniture down nearly onto the Trollhunter's cringing head, stopping a mere couple of inches from impact before he stepped back.

"Your blade is but an extension of your body, and your body, an extension of your eyes." That seemed to sink in, by the shift in the Trollhunter's posture. Frightened or not, human or Troll, he seemed eager to learn.

Well, Draal would just see how well he was _able_ to learn.

"Mimic my movements, Trollhunter." And he would begin as his father did with him, with the most basic of stances.

Their training went well past sunset and long into the night. From simple stances which he picked up with startling skill, to faster, more complex maneuvers, to even directly clashing with Draal in true sparring! This human was a startling student, that was certain. He learned quick, far quicker than many Trolls did, soaking up every lesson and technique almost as fast as Draal could impart it! Draal was sincerely impressed.

So, naturally it was time to change things up a bit, just to give another lesson.

While they were bringing blade and lampstand against one another, Draal suddenly changed his attack, cartwheeling towards the Trollhunter who quickly attempted to retreat but was pinned up against the house with the lampstand held across his throat by one of Draal's hands, pressing on his windpipe to slightly choke him, and also Draal had pinned the arm holding Daylight up and unable to strike back with his other hand. The human gasped, having some trouble breathing and wheezed that it was painful, perhaps a bid to make Draal back up. Draal just chuckled, having no intention of killing or even severely hurting his student, but at the same time making sure it felt very, _very_ real.

"A real fight is never predictable, Trollhunter," he replied with the boy looking up at him, wide-eyed and frightened and quite possibly fully believing that Draal intended him dire harm. "You have to embrace the unexpected, and learn to embody the armor, force it to do what you want." The human struggled feebly a bit more, free hand trying to push against Draal's holding the lamp.

Then he let go, dropping his free hand down, there was a glow from his armor, Daylight disappeared from his pinned hand's grip -

-and Draal felt, and heard, the tip of the sword jab lightly against his abdomen. Elated with the human's surprising, clever move, the warrior couldn't help but laugh, stepping back and letting the human breath freely. The Trollhunter chuckled as well, rubbing his throat before looking at Daylight, now in his other hand by sheer effort of his will alone, in amazement.

He really was like a young whelp, Draal realized. He was quick to learn, eager to please. He was talented, to be up to this level of training in less than one night's work. He had potential, more than the Troll had at first realized.

Yes, there was a reason the Amulet chose this human for its bearer, and a small part of Draal was rather eager to find out exactly what he could accomplish during his tenure with the mantle. It would be glorious!

Abruptly the other human's phone made a noise, alerting him to the fact that they needed to meet Blinky somewhere, likely in reference to the Changeling threat. The Trollhunter invited Draal to pick up their training later on, then the armor vanished and he pocketed the Amulet as he and his friend hurried out, leaving Draal by himself in the backyard.

For a few moments, Draal stood there, torn between hoping they wouldn't get into trouble on this mission, wishing he could have gone with them though that would leave the house unprotected (and he highly doubted Blinkous or Aaarrrggghh, if either were to be there, would appreciate seeing him after his recent behavior), and honestly feeling a bit lonely after having spent the entire evening in their company, especially the Trollhunter's.

Yes, he was quickly becoming fond of the new protector of Trollkind. Far faster than he would've thought possible.

The house light glimmering off the lightbulb made it quite tempting, and deciding he could not go with them or prevent anything from happening at this juncture, and that missing the Trollhunter's company was simple foolishness, he happily bit it off at the socket. Quite tasty. If there was one thing to say about living at the Lake household it was that there were so many good things around for him to eat that he usually had to put forth considerable effort to get back in Trollmarket (lightbulbs, often smashed by the time they were discarded by humans and found their way to where Trolls collected their supplies, were quite a rarity!). Of course, only afterwards did he realize that Bar-buh-rah might have actually still been _using_ the lamp, and this would cause quite a few questions.

Oops.

Well, simple solution there when he'd glanced about for what to do. He affixed the shade back into place, and it looked perfectly fine. Satisfied, Draal returned to the basement, leaving the scattered objects on the lawn for the Trollhunter to deal with later.

Hey, he'd already made it quite clear. He protected, he didn't clean.


	7. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I said there would only be thirteen parts. I apparently unknowingly lied. Looking back through the episodes there's WAY more parts that I MUST include! So I suppose that's a bonus for all my wonderful readers! Now to see what happened AFTER Jim left Draal in the garage, on the way to rescue Blinky!

**Plans**

Living with humans, observing them so closely even if it was from hiding allowed Draal quite an interesting understanding of them.

Even when he didn't understand them. Like 'kissing.' Ulgh!

The Trollhunter and the Troll had continued their sparring almost every night that the human wasn't called to Trollmarket by Blinky (Draal had picked up using the nickname after hearing the Trollhunter use it exclusively) or some other Calling and when his mother wasn't home. He pushed the young human, quite a bit, but with each match the fleshbag got better and better and stronger and more clever. Whereas before they had been working through set routines by this point they were simply using whatever strikes and counters they could utilize or even just make up on the fly, and even though it was the human on the ground more often than not (as in he'd not yet struck Draal prone or even managed to disarm him of anything he wielded) he always pulled himself back up until his body simply couldn't anymore.

And in between these times Draal listened to the goings on in the house above him, and when the house was empty and the night was heavy he would explore the upper floor. Never the second floor, so as to not awaken the Trollhunter or leave any unintentional sign of his passage, but the front room, kitchen, and hallway. Much of what he saw he didn't understand the purpose of, but there were a few things he did. Such as the small images hanging along the hallway, ones of the Trollhunter and what Draal could only presume was his mother, Bar-buh-rah, both together and separate at different moments off their lives. It was amazing, really. Draal knew of photos, he wasn't that daft to the all ways of the human world, but to see a veritable timeline of their lives, memories captured for all to see when they came into the dwelling and for them to revisit themselves when they gazed upon the images...

Though he'd never admit it, he was a bit envious.

But Draal found he wasn't lonely. Even when they weren't sparring together such as if the weather was too poor, the Trollhunter would come down to the basement and talk. About anything, really. What had happened recently, both in Trollmarket, giving Draal some much-needed news about home, and in the human world. About their pasts and families, about the previous Trollhunters especially Kanjigar, about any topic that came to mind. The Trollhunter made him laugh quite frequently with some of his stories, and his rapt attention when Draal detailed some of the deeds of the past Trollhunters, often with pantomimed movements, was satisfying. It reminded him of others listening to how he defeated the Trollhunter when they'd sparred, only much more pleasant.

Which is what made what followed all the harder to accept. A near-successful attempt to kidnap the Trollhunter, away from home where Draal could help protect him. Then Blinky captured, and a barter offered: the Troll's life for Jim opening the Killahead Bridge. A no-win scenario, and one the Trollhunter wouldn't tolerate.

It was one of the most difficult days, the most difficult of trials, Draal had ever faced. The Trollhunter had given him orders, part of a plan he had to save Blinky and perhaps even destroy the Killahead Bridge once and for all.

But it was such a dangerous plan!

Draal stood in the shadowed part of the garage, hidden from view and watched as the human vanished from sight, biking away through the rain. Their previous conversation ran through his head.

_"I don't do you need to go it alone?"_

_"Because this is the only way work. You have to trust me on this, Draal."_

_"I trust you, but I also fear for you. You are waking into a den of death. For what? Blinky?"_

What the Trollhunter had said in reply stunned the warrior and silenced his protests, and though he likely didn't intend it turned Draal's already strong loyalty to him unbreakable.

_"I'd do the same thing for you."_

Then, the humans partying words:

_"Uh... If anything goes wrong, if it means anything, I hope you're the next Trollhunter."_

If I die, I hope you're the next one. Not so long ago, Draal had taunted this remarkable human with his impending death and how he would claim the Amulet after him. Draal remembered it well. Which is what made his next words, spoken from the depths of his being, ring in his ears with more truth and sincerity than any he'd spoken before.

_"And I hope it won't come to that."_

Better I am never Trollhunter if it would cost this human his life so soon.

Now all Draal could do was wait for Toby and Aaarrrggghh to do as Jim said they would, and hope it would be quick enough.

No more than five minutes, Jim had said.

Three minutes later, while Draal was huddled impatiently in the basement, he heard the back door upstairs open and first Toby's light, quick step run in, then the unmistakable grunt of a large Troll squeezing in.

"Finally!" Draal exclaimed, standing and hurrying up to meet them.

"Jimbo?" Toby was calling, jumping in surprise when Draal opened the door.

"He is not here," the warrior said quickly; for the Trollhunter's plan to work they had to act at once. Aaarrrggghh frowned slightly when he saw Draal, for though he had to have been told about the arrangement their last encounters with one another had been... not good, to put it mildly.

"Where Jim?"

"He went to rescue Blinky, and I have instructions from him as to what you are to do." Draal quickly explained, and as he concluded Toby's face lit in a grin.

"That's brilliant!"

"We go!" Aaarrrggghh turned to depart, eager to get to Jim's side, but Draal took a step forward, holding up a hand to stop him.

"Wait!" The Krubera turned, head tipping quizzically. Draal sighed, then made his request. "I would like to go as well, join you in the fight. The Trollhunter said he would appreciate my being there, that he wanted me there as likely he will be up against Bular, this Strickler, and Nomura at the same time. But – " Draal lowered his head. "I know I wronged him. I know I wronged you, Aaarrrggghh, and Blinky as well, with my dishonorable behavior. I know I do not deserve a place in this battle, no matter how much I may want it." Both Toby and Aaarrrggghh's faces reflected surprise at this speech, and they glanced at one another as he continued. "The Trollhunter has both proved my every word about him wrong, and has shown me the same honor, courage, and dignity that my Father had. I stay here to protect him, his mother, and his home, but I also want to fight at his side." He was rambling, Draal knew, but he really had no idea what to say to convey what he was feeling at the moment, how badly he wanted to help and how badly he understood his error, and how deeply he regretted it.

Aaarrrggghh's hand on his shoulder silenced his words, and much to Draal's surprise and relief the Krubera was smiling.

"All make mistakes," the big furred Troll said. "I know. You learned, you back again. This Draal I knew!" He clapped the warrior on the shoulder, gave him a brief but tight embrace, then nodded towards the door. "Hurry!" Draal grinned and nodded, glad to have been forgiven for his deplorable, dishonorable behavior at least by Aaarrrggghh and now he would be able to prove his words from that first night to not only the Trollhunter, but to himself.

It was time to finish this fight!


	8. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle of Two Bridges

**S** **acrifice**

"A real fight is never predictable."

Those has been Draal's own words to the Trollhunter on the first night they trained together. They were words that rang with as much truth as two weapons striking one another. And this eve's battle would prove to be as unpredictable as they came.

Not being hindered by the initial meeting with Stricklander and with Toby's slower speed negated but the quicker stride of the two Trolls, the three arrived at the museum only a short minute or so after the Trollhunter. They could hear Blinky shouting at the human to not open the Bridge, to think about his mother and his friends, how Blinky had trained him better than this and even that one Troll's life, even _Blinky's_ life, wasn't worth what Gunmar would do if freed.

Then mere moments before the Amulet would touch the Bridge, a beeping sounded, and Jim's trick was revealed along with the Chubby Tracker on his wrist.

Unlike his predecessors, he did not hunt alone. Troll _hunters_ , indeed!

The moment the battle began, Draal charged Bular, horned heads crashing together with enough force to break off a few small chips from both of them. Blows backed by all the force each could muster crashed back and forth, they grappled and slung each other to the ground. Bular was determined to succeed and free his father, Draal was equally determined to avenge his. Toby worked to free Blinky as the Trollhunter clashed with Stricklander on to of the Bridge, and Aaarrrggghh and Nomura held the fringes.

Then Bular scored a fortunate blow that sent Draal to the ground all but completely on his back, thank Merlin for his spikes. Little good they did however as Bular grabbed him by the throat before he could recover, bringing his sword around for a killing blow.

One that was thwarted by Aaarrrggghh, who bull rushed the Gumm-Gumm, barreling him into the opposite wall.

Draal rolled over, fighting to get his strength back and rejoin the fight. He pulled himself up, seeing the Trollhunter clashing with the Changeling Stricker, or whatever his name was, and was hurrying to offer aid when Nomura jumped between him and the bridge.

Very well then, defeating her yet against would be quite satisfying!

She swung her blades at him, which he blocked with his spiked forearms, but equally agilely she dodged his attempts to counter-attack. Even his rolling attack was thwarted! She knew his fighting style far too well, and it would take a new trick, something she hadn't seen, to best her. Faintly behind, locked in his own battle, he heard the Trollhunter scream in denial and struggle, and the Changeling's mocking words of disappointment, but couldn't spare his attention with Nomura maintaining hers on him with deadly intent. He waited, baiting her to where he wanted her with a rolling retreat, then dodged around her and abruptly came back up in a tumbling cartwheel, the same maneuver he'd used on the Trollhunter previously, and slammed her by the throat up against a column, intent on choking the life from her.

Then he heard NotEnrique scream!

Snapping his head around he realized that while he'd been distracted, the worst had happened: Killahead Bridge was active! He saw the Trollhunter struggling to get out of Strickler's grip but unable to break it, and NotEnrique was trying to pry the Amulet from its place. But Draal knew it was futile; the Amulet would _only_ respond to the Trollhunter's hand. Sure enough after a moment of struggle the small Changeling was sent violently flying away, slamming into a column and falling to the ground.

"Killahead Bridge!" Nomura cried out joyously. "The time is now!" Draal roared as through the Bridge Gunmar's voice could be heard, calling out for Bular, pressed up against the wall by Aaarrrggghh and he called back.

"We've failed!" Blinky cried.

"Nothing can stop his return!" shouted Strickler as he pinned the Trollhunter forcefully against the top of the Bridge.

_Not if I have anything to say about it!_

Draal roared again, throwing Nomura back against the wall and charging the Bridge. He climbed up and without hesitation grabbed the Amulet with both hands. The much smaller NotEnrique might have been thrown back, but he would not be.

By Merlin and all the past Trollhunters, for the honor of his father, _he would not be denied!_

The Amulet's magic stung at his hands and arms as once more it tried to reject his touch, the light from it dazzled and threatened to blind him. He braced both feet and pulled as hard as he could, putting his entire weight beside it. Nomura jumped onto his back, clawing at his eyes and trying to make him break his grip, but a surge of magic energy tossed her back and she hit the ground. He dimly heard her scream, but had no idea what happened to her after that moment.

More important things to focus on, understandably.

He could feel the Amulet coming loose, his fingers meeting behind it, grazing each other as he got closer and closer to his goal. Stunned by what he was seeing, the lead Changeling let his grip slacken enough for the Trollhunter to reverse the grapple, pinning his former mentor against the Bridge and calling out to Draal, fearful for the Troll's safety against such magic.

"No! Let go, Draal! Let go!"

"No! No! Don't let him!" Bular yelled at virtually the same instant, seeing his chance slipping; he threw Aaarrrggghh back and rushed towards Draal, and with his greater strength and size he probably could've pulled Draal away from the Bridge, or just slain him outright.

But he was a second too late, as Draal felt the Amulet come free into his hands! There was an explosion, he felt himself flying backwards with a terrible pain in his right arm that then turned utterly numb a moment later but not before he felt something circular and hard in his quickly-closed fist -

And everything went white, then black.

He came to dimly hearing the Trollhunter drop down in front of him, gasping in horror and shock though he had no strength yet to open his eyes. He heard the unmistakable sound of falling bits of stone, giving him more clues to why his arm was numb, gone, and finally forced himself to speak at hearing the Trollhunter sigh sadly, perhaps believing him dead. A groaning sigh at first, all that the warrior could manage, then he opened his eyes and quipped,

"I'd hand you and amulet, but - "

"You're alive!" The human seemed quite overjoyed by that fact.

But noise from the rubble that was the Bridge told that someone else had survived being at ground zero of the blast: Bular.

Blinky advised a quick retreat, and Aaarrrggghh hurried over to help Draal get up and make his way to a sewer entrance uncovered beneath a floor tile, the only likely escape path they had. Not pleasant, but Bular was enraged, and death alone would satisfy him. So in they all went.

Draal had never felt so badly weakened before in his life. The wound by itself was far from fatal, but all he wanted at the moment was to rest. He felt Aaarrrggghh catch his arm as he was propelled by the water past, holding fast, as well as catch hold of Blinky and Toby. But through squinting eyes he could only watch as the Trollhunter went past, missing his friend's grip by inches, and vanishing. Bular came tumbling past a few moments later, narrowly missing Aaarrrggghh with his sword as he did so but too badly thrown off in his attack by the water and his momentum. Then he too was gone. Carefully, not wanting to lose anyone lest they drown, Aaarrrggghh, Blinky, Toby, and Draal made their way down the tunnel and to an open grate, finally coming up to the open air.

It was thankfully evening, the sun set far enough that a large shadow was thrown in the canal, giving them a way out. The Trollhunter was already fighting Bular beneath the Bridge – the very same place Kanjigar had fallen! - and it didn't look good. Though Draal's eyes could see that one of Bular's arms was turned to stone, perhaps the result of Jim having somehow forced or tricked him into sticking it into the sun, and he sported new wounds that meant the human had struck the son of the tyrant Troll, Bular had the Trollhunter pinned up against one of the supports of the Bridge, crushing the life from him. They heard Jim cry out in pain, and Draal couldn't help the surge of impotent anger – no, he wouldn't lose another Trollhunter to Bular, not here like this when he couldn't do a thing to stop it! - as Toby shouted for his friend. Bular laughed.

"Just in time to see their Trollhunter slain!" The crimson-eyed Troll mocked, readying the killing blow.

They couldn't hear whatever the boy said, but suddenly there was a flash from the Amulet – he'd taken it off! - and he slipped free from Bular's looser grip, falling to a knee before him. Then before the huge Troll could react he summoned the armor again, thrust his hand _against_ Bular's chest – and called for Daylight!

Draal's mouth fell open in shock! The weapon of the Trollhunter, named after the very thing that wouldn't fail to end a Troll's life, _materialized inside Bular!_ Blue-white radiance exploded from his back, filled his wide eyes and screaming mouth as the blade claimed whatever passed for his heart and the Trollhunter turned them both so that his enemy's back was to the water.

"Now _that's_ Daylight for you!" he shouted in triumph, stepping back and the blade properly forming in his hand. Bular continued to scream for a few moments more, stepping back and then falling – as had Kanjigar – from beneath the bridge and into the waters below.

Draal watched his fall, mouth agape and uncaring for that fact. Bular... was _dead_!

It was over!

The sun had fully gone down by the time the Trollhunter was able to pull himself up on top of the bridge and the others could get to him, calling out their relief that he was alive and in joy for the victory. By this point Draal had regained enough strength to walk under his own power. He felt unbalanced, naturally, and the lack of his right arm was strange to say the least, but it was a small price to pay for this moment. One he'd never forget, no matter what happened.

Toby caught his friend in a hug, though it seemed Jim needed the support more than anything, as Blinky actually admitted he was speechless. Hah! That was something his father _never_ would've believed! The scholarly Troll embraced the Trollhunter, and that prompted the other human to get in on the 'victory hugging' as he put it, and so of course Aaarrrggghh had to join in, catching them _all_ in his large arms, Draal included.

Ok, not expected, not entirely desired. Draal had never been the 'hugging' sort.

"Guys," the Trollhunter protested good-naturedly with a groan, "I was almost squeezed to death. Ease up a little." Ok, that got a small smile as the Krubera let them go.

"I can't believe it. You killed Bular, the son of Gunmar, man!" Yes, it was true, the Trollhunter had. Feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders Draal took a deep breath, then spoke his own feelings on the matter, hand over his heart in sincere gratitude.

"My father has been avenged. Thank you, Trollhunter." Jim smiled and just rested his hand on Draal's forearm in an unvoiced you're welcome.

Of course, human life would always interfere. There were only minutes before a play the Trollhunter was a part of were to start, virtually forgotten in the battle. Blinky assured him that the Trolls could take care of Killahead, and that he should go ahead -

When of all the horrific things, there was a groan from the side of the bridge, and the sounds of something heavy and partially stone climbing up! _Bular_ , half gone but pushing through likely on sheer rage alone, turning to stone from left to right before their eyes even as he stood towering over the screaming Toby. The human cowered, ducking low as Bular reached for him but so fast that even Draal hadn't had time to act _Aaarrrggghh_ lunged forward, grabbing Bular's stone arm and jerking it up high, the marks on his body glowing a dangerous green to match his eyes. Draal had vague memories of this, of the rare times when Aaarrrggghh would accidentally lose his grip on his more violent side and it would come out for a few moments. It hadn't happened honestly in centuries, before today. But this time wasn't accident to Draal's eyes; it was purely intentional, to defend his human friend. Aaarrrggghh roared loudly, then with a single punch reduced the all-but-dead Bular to little more than dark rubble.

Draal lowered his remaining arm, raised half in defense of the Trollhunter beside him, half in an echoing punch to Aaarrrggghh's own (a symbolic strike for his father, in his heart), as Toby gasped in shock about Aaarrrggghh's oath. What Aaarrrggghh said spoke volumes about his bond to this human.

"Your life more important. Not pet. Wingman." He held a fist up for a fistbump, which Toby tearfully returned then hugged on his friend's hand.

They parted ways then, Toby and Jim going to make sure the Trollhunter got to the play, and the Trolls making their way back to the museum where they would have to start dealing with the pieces of Killahead Bridge.


	9. Chapter 9: Reconcilliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Alright, everyone who has followed me and this story, I am so, so very sorry for the long delay. Real life had a part in abducting my muse, and then even after I had this and the next couple chapters figured out she stalled on me, and I really was hoping to get more up before I continued posting. But I've left you all, my good readers, high and dry for far too long so I'm going to at least close out the 'Killahead Bridge' segment now. Hopefully the fates will be kind and my inspiration will soar again, and the chapter I'm working on will cooperate for me - seriously, I've scrapped about three chapters and rewatched the episodes needed at least five times trying to get it to sound right! Bleh!))

**Reconciliation**

The three Trolls made their way carefully back to the museum, for as Blinky explained after their first 'false alarm' Vendel would in no way believe them without physical proof in hand. He had been about to go in alone, citing his smaller stature giving him greater stealth, but Aaarrrggghh physically put a stop to that by grabbing his friend and countered with the possibility of the other Changeling - Strickler - being still around. This made Draal curious about Nomura as she was not spoken of, and when he was informed that she'd been pulled through the Bridge he couldn't help but think it was a fitting fate for her. If she was so dedicated to Gunmar then let her join him.

A short debate later, all three made a quiet and quick entry and exit with no one sighted, and then heading back to the canal with the keystone - just about the best proof for its distinctive appearance - held securely in Blinky's lower hands. But when they got to the place where the entrance to Trollmarket was hidden and Blinky pulled out the Horngazle, Draal hesitated.

"I should probably return to the Trollhunter's house," he said by way of explanation for his step back when they looked at him.

"Hurt," Aaarrrggghh pointed out.

"Quite right," Blinky agreed. "You must get your arm properly seen to, or it will only cause worse problems." Draal knew that. The stump would need to be sanded smooth or the rough edges would catch on things and chip away, possibly progressing the dead stone into the living quite painfully. And Draal was equally aware that of everyone he knew, Vendel would be the best to do just that.

But to reenter Trollmarket...

Seeing his indecision, Aaarrrggghh gently grasped Draal's whole arm.

"Be okay," he reassured. "They know truth soon. You pulled Amulet out. Honor well regained." Blinky looked Draal over, noticing the indecision, then gave a small smile.

"Aaarrrggghh is correct again. We will - well, _I_ will have to recount what happened, and your part will of course be included. It was no small feat, and it is one that cost you dearly. I do not doubt that everyone in Trollmarket will be quite willing to welcome you back then." Draal sighed and nodded his agreement.

That didn't mean he was looking forward to this though, never mind how much he actually _did_ want to go home again.

But walking down the crystalline staircase, returning in glory for that was what they were doing even if none below knew it yet, and already feeling the soul-deep pulse of the Heartstone from so close by was like a balm to a wound he hadn't even realized he bore. He closed his eyes for a moment, just feeling the smooth crystal beneath his feet and hearing the murmur of Trollmarket ahead, and missed Aaarrrggghh smile at Blinky in the process.

The chatter in the general vicinity soon stopped the moment they took one step actually into Trollmarket proper, however. Aaarrrggghh, much to Draal's surprise, came around to stand on his right side, and Blinky his left flanking him, though the casual manner in which they did it made it seem like nothing unusual. In fact were it not for the events of the past hour Draal himself might have not realized anything was amiss. Blinky started leading the way towards the Heartstone, the most likely place to find Vendel, and Draal heard the murmurs starting up.

"What's going on?"

"What's that Blinkous is holding?"

"What's _he_ doing back here?"

"Bold to come back after he was beaten down in the Forge."

"Look at his arm! Do you think the Trollhunter did that?"

"Maybe Draal went back after him."

Draal's jaw was clenched so tight it almost physically hurt, hearing it, but he wouldn't dignify the speakers with a retort. Beside him, more felt than heard, was a low rumble from Aaarrrggghh though the Krubera seemed to be restraining himself as well, and Blinky's face was set in a hard mien as he focused on the far more important task. They might have walked all the way there without interruption save for one bold wit in the crowd who dared _throw_ something, an empty cup, at Draal's back. Draal heard the grunt of the throw, the voices raised in protest as they were spattered by the remaining drops of glug inside, even in the sudden quiet heard the cup flying through the air as he started to turn, reflexively trying to bring one arm up to block it. But out of habit given the angle of the attack he started to raise his right arm, and cringed as the movement painfully strained where dead and living stone met, a few small fragments breaking away.

And then in a quick, aggressive movement, Aaarrrggghh swatted it out of the air so hard the mug dented against the stone walkway and growled at those standing around, eyes blackening with anger and runes glowing, speaking in Trollish just to make _extra_ certain that he got his point across.

_"Do not dare!"_ His aggression was so unexpected that those in the front of the crowd actually retreated back a few steps, bumbling into those behind them.

"What is going on here?" came Vendel's imperious question as the crowd ahead parted for him. His brows raised in surprise as he caught the Krubera just settling down, seeing the trouble behind cowed and still looking sternly at them, Blinky seeming unbothered by his roommate's sudden violent streak, and Draal clearly badly wounded. "I _trust_ there is a suitable explaination for all this?" Which meant _there had better be!_ With more than a little bit of pride in his steps, Blinky approached the Trollmarket leader and spoke in a loud voice, so everyone nearby could hear.

"Yes, Vendel, there is." He held out the keystone. "The Trollhunter has found, and destroyed, Killahead Bridge, through the valiant and vital deeds and self-sacrifice of Draal the Deadly, son of Kanjigar the Courageous, and our Trollhunter has also _killed_ Bular the son of Gunmar in single combat!" The gasps and shouts of astonishment were loud and for a moment Vendel's demands for silence and order were drowned out.

A bellow from Draal took care of that: "Be silent!"

"Ahem, thank you Draal." Draal nodded in reply, though in truth that yell had taken some more of his somewhat flagging strength from him. "Blinkous, Draal, Aaarrrggghh, come with me, immediately. The rest of you, continue on with your business. When I have heard the full story then the necessary steps will be taken and you will know everything." Murmuring to themselves though they had to be content with that the crowd dispersed. The three Trolls followed behind Vendel obediently, though out of the corner of his eye Draal thought Blinky looked decidedly smug.

Well, he'd earned it. Aside from his history of conspiracies, Draal had been among the many mockers when he'd first started talking about a human Trollhunter, and after the battle at the Forge rumors certainly would have circulated that he was trying to convince Vendel about a Changeling conspiracy. Now he had validation right before everyone's eyes that none could refute. It had to feel kind of good. Draal smirked, content to let the scholar enjoy his moment.

Vendel led them first to the infirmary where he told Blinky to wait on his explanation until he'd seen to Draal's arm, then gruffly informed them after an examination that Draal would need to go to the Heartstone chamber itself for this procedure so he would have it to bolster his strength during the sanding process and while he awaited a false-arm to replace his natural one. Though there were some stares while they headed there but none dared to speak to any of them for any reason.

Draal had before now only been _inside_ the Heartstone's hollow core a very small handful of times, and as before he almost sagged with the sheer welcoming warmth of it. Perhaps he did a little as Aaarrrggghh gripped his left arm to help support him until he assured the Krubera he was well. While Vendel gathered what he needed from the table in the center of the chamber he had Aaarrrggghh carry a stone slab from a normal side-chamber just outside and place it against one wall to act as Draal's bed until he was healed fully, and though he typically disliked being fussed over Draal was grateful to lay back and rest a bit, eyes closing and letting the Heartstone warm him through. He felt Aaarrrggghh settle close by, both keeping him company and keeping an eye on the Troll who was once a whelp often left in his care. Dimly Draal could hear Vendel and Blinky talking, probably an explanation of the battle. Safe, Draal let himself doze.

He awoke when Vendel came over to him with a thick pad to cover and bind the stump against the jags catching on anything and words about the procedure ahead. He assured the warrior it wouldn't cause him any further pain, and that if he felt any he was to speak up immediately and not try to 'tough it out' like some prideful fool, and once begun it would take quite likely a couple of hours to complete. After that Vendel would begin work on the artificial arm, a much lengthier process. For a Troll to lose a limb but not their life at the same time was a rarity to say the least, but it had happened in the past and thus there were blueprints and guides for what to do. And what would Draal do while it was being built? Rest, simply rest and not strain himself.

Ug.

But with little choice in the matter Draal merely nodded in compliance and lay back to wait. It seemed there would be a bit of a delay as back at the table Vendel picked up the keystone of the Bridge, said something to Blinky, and departed, and Blinky looked Draal's way, seeming uncomfortable.

Ah. Draal felt his stomach tighten in anxiety similar to the moments before a battle. Yes, this was the first chance that Blinky would have to talk to him without anything else demanding greater attention. Draal had apologized to Aaarrrggghh at the Lake household, but he still had yet to make amends with Blinky – and if he were honest with himself this was the conversation he more dreaded. Aaarrrggghh was a forgiving sort but Draal could recall Blinky speaking harshly of Gumm-Gumms dead centuries for the friends they'd taken from him, and he remembered all the scowls he'd earned from the bookish Troll recently.

Blinky fidgeted with something on the table for a moment, balking, then took a breath and came over. Draal braced, watching the other approach and willing to accept whatever lecture or scolding or words of anger that were leveled at him. He knew he'd deserve it. Aaarrrggghh, with a glance between them, stood and moved to the entrance to the chamber to give them privacy and likely ward away the curious outside.

"Are you in any pain?" asked Blinky, looking for words it seemed and trying to divert with 'small talk' to borrow a human phrase.

"No," was the answer. "It is strange, of course, but I feel only a numbness where my arm is stone, not pain."

"Ah, good, good." There was a tense pause, then Draal took a breath.

"Blinky, I - " Blinky held up an upper hand to stop him. Draal fell silent.

"I normally would let you talk first, but I have something to say before you do." Blinky took a breath, looking Draal right in the eyes as he sat cross-legged next the makeshift bed. "You have behaved in a way that I never thought I would witness of you, Draal. You were brutish, arrogant, and I would even go so far as to say cruel, both to Master Jim, to Aaarrrggghh, and to myself. I honestly cannot say whether I was more disappointed or wounded by the things you said." Draal lowered his gaze, unable to look at the other, shame burning in his chest. The words were true, and he knew it.

"But," Blinky went on, "even bound and hanging upside down, when I saw you had come to aid Master Jim with Tobias and Aaarrrggghh – I almost thought I was seeing _Kanjigar_ standing there."

_That_ made Draal's head snap back up!

"You reminded me so much of your father, and it was like - " Blinky paused as he tried to find just the right words. " - it was like you had been lost for what felt like a long time, and suddenly you were back again. Like you'd woken up from some strange dreamwalking and were _you_ once more." Draal swallowed heavily.

"I have said as much to Aaarrrggghh, but I know I have behaved exactly as you said, and far worse I would add. I know I do not deserve forgiveness, or even the consideration of it, for even _one_ act let alone the sum, not from you or anyone." Blinky lay a hand on his shoulder gently, smiling.

"I have heard it said that those who say they do not deserve forgiveness are often those who most actually do, because they are the ones who regret the deed."

"Regret is most decidedly how I feel about the first days after you brought the Trollhunter to Trollmarket. I was a fool!"

"Even a fool can learn from his mistakes, if he is willing. And I know you have learned well." Blinky blinked back a bit of moisture from his eyes as he finished, "Welcome home to Trollmarket, Draal." Draal finally felt his tension leech away from his spirit, closing his eyes gratefully.

First the Trollhunter forgave him in the basement of his house.

Then Aaarrrggghh had added his own forgiveness in the kitchen of said house.

Finally Blinky had spoken his in his usual verbose way, in the heart of the place Draal had never thought to be again. Finally Draal felt like he had redeemed himself, and his father's legacy.

His heart could be at peace.


	10. Chapter 10: Heal and Celebrate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((A little behind-the-scenes scene for you!))

**Heal and Celebrate**

Before that night was out the remains of Killahead Bridge would be safely within Trollmarket's vault, pending any further decision about them.

The next day work began on healing Draal.

As Vendel promised the sanding and smoothing of his arm stump caused the warrior no pain, but that didn't mean the two hour long process was _comfortable_. In fact, because there was a chance of Draal involuntarily jerking his arm or shoulder and risking injury Vendel acquired Aaarrrggghh's help to hold the warrior's remaining arm segment and shoulder in place. Though at first he scoffed at the need, before long Draal understood what the healer had been thinking. The grinding vibration that shot up into his shoulder was annoying and loud at first, then quickly turned into irritable and eventually almost unbearable, worse than an unreachable itch that refused to abate. We're it not for the Krubera's heavy grip pressing down he might have jerked away simply for a moment of relief! Aaarrrggghh did what he could to help distract Draal from his distress, asking him questions about living at the Lake residence.

Where in the house did he stay? How did he avoid Jim's mother? Had he tried the tasty black things that were upstairs yet? What was it like being in the basement during the day? What about when Barbara was home with Jim? Did Draal hear them interacting? Did Draal know anything about a broken lamp that Jim had mentioned in passing, having to remove a cleanly-broken lightbulb socket from it?

While the interrogation might seem pointless by asking the questions Aaarrrggghh forced Draal to have to think about them, which in turn meant he _couldn't_ think about the sanding. It definitely helped, though both were relieved when Vendel pronounced the process done, letting Aaarrrggghh know he could release his grip and giving them both a look at the smooth stump.

Well, at least it certainly _looked_ better than the uneven jags!

Aaarrrggghh had to go help Jim train some in the Forge, by which he mostly was just an observer and company for Toby, so Draal had some time to rest and muse over what the replacement arm might look like and how well he would be able to function with it. He figured he wouldn't have visitors after this point, but was proven wrong when Jim stepped into the Heartstone chamber about an hour after Aaarrrggghh had left. Draal thought he could hear Blinky and Vendel talking out of his line of sight, perhaps about his recovery. The Trollhunter was smiling, seeming relieved to see Draal awake and looking better and said as much.

"Missed you at training. Man, Vendel said it'll be about a _week_ before your new arm is finished!"

"Enjoy the reprieve while you can, fleshbag," taunted the Troll with a smile. Jim chuckled, seeing the teasing for what it was. Then he glanced over his shoulder before regarding the warrior once more.

"I think everyone in Trollmarket knows the details by now. Blinky said he and Vendel told them after the Bridge was locked up." The boy grinned. "I think you're good to stay here again, now." Draal cleared his throat a bit.

"I...will, partially."

"Huh?"

"I made a promise to protect your house and your family, Trollhunter. I will uphold that promise." Jim seemed surprised by the proclamation - Draal could kinda understand, with how badly being in essential exile from Trollmarket had been on the Troll - but then the boy smiled and as before rested a hand on Draal's shoulder.

"I think I can be down with that." Draal chucked at the Trollhunter's appropriate choice of words. "So after the arm is done how long will you be out for?"

"While it will take time for me to learn how to fight with it and use it as efficiently as my natural hand, I can leave the Heartstone as soon as it's attached."

"Good! Then we can celebrate finally."

"Celebrate?"

"Yeah. Everyone's been wanting to celebrate Bular's defeat, but I wouldn't let them. Not until you could be there too." Draal's eyes widened in surprised and Jim grinned. "I'm gonna keep saying it until everyone starts believing that I mean it. Not Trollhunter - Troll _hunters_." Draal snorted, not trying to avoid rolling his eyes.

"Perhaps it's fitting that the first human Trollhunter also defies centuries of tradition." Jim just laughed.

Draal's arm was finished five days later, a joint work between Vendel and Blinky to form it and place all the enchantments required, ones to give it both strength to match the arm he'd lost and also to give it durability to withstand his brawling fighting style. A rune was chiseled into the stump to provide attachment and link his mind magically to the arm, letting it move as he willed just like his flesh arm. Then Vendel brought over the new arm, the first time Draal had seen it. It was a good match for size and proportion to his natural arm, bronze in color with two fingers and a thumb. The forearm segment almost appeared honeycombed, though his eyes caught the small runes that held the magic within them, all but invisible. Vendel touched the end of it to Draal's stump and the warrior jerked a bit as the magic took hold, his hands - both of them - closing in fists as he handled the strange sensations that came front his right arm.

"How does it feel?" asked Vendel as he watched the warrior. Draal shifted a bit, experimentally moving his new arm when the jarring sensation abated.

"Strange," he admitted. The weight obviously wasn't a _perfect_ match, though it was close, and it was odd seeing the metal moving with his will. Vendel tapped the metal forearm with a finger.

"Did you feel that?" Draal nodded. "Good. Look away." Draal turned his head, and at Vendel's instruction relayed where he felt the healer touch his metal arm. "Splendid! The magic seems to be working perfectly." The elder stood and gestured to the entrance to the chamber. "I know you've been waiting a while to hear this, Draal: you're free to go. I believe," he added as Draal stood, "that the others have been waiting for you to celebrate, and have some kind of 'get well gift' for you."

"Thank you, Vendel." Draal opened and closed his new hand, already finding he was accepting its presence rather well. Vendel just hummed and gestured for the warrior to get going, and Draal was more than happy to oblige.

He was met at the entrance by Blinky and Aaarrrggghh, who were both very pleased to see him up and about once more and Aaarrrggghh added that Blinky and Vendel had done good work on the arm; it fit Draal well, both in size and in appearance. Draal couldn't help but grin, especially when he was informed that as he could now attend as well when the Trollhunter arrived after school an hour or so from then they would all celebrate!

oooooooooo

The last time Draal had been in the tavern, he had been mocking the Trollhunter and recounting how he pounded him over and over.

Now, he sat at a table _with_ the Trollhunter, drink in hand, celebrating the human's victory!

Truly, fate had its sense of humor.

But as Draal watched the other Trolls both admire his new arm and praised the human, dubbing him 'Jim the Bular-Slayer,' Draal couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for the human, and satisfaction. _This_ was the admiration a Trollhunter _deserved,_ to be respected and celebrated, not the derision that he himself had helped sew. Draal had learned his error, and seeing Jim get his due pleased the warrior to no end.

It seems that in finding the Bridge, destroying it, and in slaying Bular, they _both_ had gotten the exact same thing in a way: they both could walk through Trollmarket with their heads high and with pride in themselves.

The celebration lasted for quite some time, even after the two humans had to return to their homes to sleep. Draal had been of a mind to go with the Trollhunter, resuming his protection over the human's house and family, but Blinky had asked him to stay for a bit, saying he had something to show Draal when they could slip away. That turned out to be a few hours later, but finally the scholar, the warrior, and the pacifist were able to make their way out and through Trollmarket. Both Blinky and Aaarrrggghh were quiet about what was going on, even though Draal asked, so he had to content himself with following along...

...To the Hero's Forge.

Draal's heart began to pound as they entered, and he paused, looking around at the stands. For a moment he heard phantom echoes of the last time he stood in this place - the jeers that once followed cheering, the moment when his honor broke as he left in shameful defeat. Now returning as an ally of the Trollhunter, redeemed and in glory.

Then the Troll realized why he'd been brought here when he saw Blinky and Aaarrrggghh had stopped beside carefully organized, reverently-laid out chunks of stone.

"It took some time," said Blinky softly, looking down at his friend's remains, "but we gathered the last pieces just prior to the rainstorm." He looked at Draal. "I know it will take some time for you to regain full use of your new arm, enough for this task, but we both think there is none more suitable to giving your father his proper place than you, Draal." Draal approached and briefly rested a hand on each of their shoulders, unable to form words for his gratitude, then knelt and for the first time rested a hand, his flesh one, on Kanjigar's remains.

_Father, I will see to it that you have your place of honor with the Trollhunters who came before you, as you deserve!_


	11. Adapt and Summons

**Adapt and Summons**

It took Draal only four days to fully adapt to his arm. The real struggle came with convincing himself that he didn't have to intentionally think commands to it when he was trying use it. When he finally got it into his head that all he had to do was simply act upon whatever desire he wanted things went considerably smoother.

Though understanding how exactly to processed _sensation_ from that arm was a bit of a more difficult task, resulting in some dented mugs and a chipped table in Blinky's library when he slapped it.

While he was adjusting, he split his time between living in Trollmarket and staying at Jim's house, mostly when the Trollhunter and his mother were sleeping. He also, as part training for using his arm, began work on an idea that he felt would assist greatly: a tunnel that would allow passage to Trollmarket even during the day. Granted, when the Trollhunter initially found out he wasn't overly pleased, but Draal had been smart enough to put the tunnel in a easily-concealed location where the light in the basement didn't reach. And after the first time Barbara went down to do laundry one afternoon she didn't say anything about it to Jim, so it seems she hadn't noticed. And it really was excellent practice for control on his arm.

Finally Draal felt his control was steady enough to begin what was likely to be the most important task of his life: reconstructing his father. It was a painstaking and emotional process, during which he noticed he wasn't disturbed even by the Trollhunter coming in for training. Likely Blinky was keeping him in the library with more scholarly activities, to offer Draal privacy which was greatly appreciated.

He didn't really want anyone seeing him in the moments when he had to stop to deal with his emotions and the times tears filled his eyes.

But Draal had taken breaks in the evening and had occasionally shared meals with Blinky and Aaarrrggghh before heading to Jim's house for his evening vigil, and thus was able to keep them up to date as to his progress. So they knew the deed was almost complete when finally someone other than Draal entered the Hero's Forge. Only it wasn't the Trollhunter.

It was his friend, Toby, with another human whom Draal had a strong memory of when she crept into the basement, trying to find out what Jim's secret was and accidentally spotted him trying to figure out if Jim wanted his help in the battle against his Changeling teacher or not.

Claire screamed, hit her head, and passed out. Yeah, not the best of meetings.

Toby and Aaarrrggghh were showing her into the Forge, with the human giving quite the grand (and in Draal's opinion very appropriate; good to see at least one of the humans has the respect for the Forge that it deserved!) introduction for the place. He listened absently to their conversation as he worked on smoothing out some small knicks, but otherwise content to let them do whatever until he happened to hear Claire speak up.

"Whoa – is that Draal? Kanjigar's son?"

_So, the Trollhunter has been talking, hmm._

"In the flesh – stone. Stoneflesh." Draal bent down to pick up a few more fragments as he heard them approach, fitting them into place with care.

"What's that statue he's making?"

"I do not _make_ statues," Draal answered firmly after a small adjustment to his replacement arm, turning to face them then turning back to look at the stone face he so wanted to just...not be stone. "This... is my father."

"Took quite a while to track down all his remains." Draal softly snorted and moved aside as Toby rambled on about rebuilding Jim when the time came.

Seriously, did that fleshbag ever think before he said anything?

(Alright, the irony of that thought wasn't lost on Draal, but he liked to think he'd matured a good deal since the human had become Trollhunter.)

"You fight in an arena surrounded by the remains of dead Trollhunters?" asked Claire, and Draal glanced over his shoulder, curious how she would react. To his understanding most human females were squeamish sorts and well, she _had_ screamed when she saw him. "That is..."

Then she surprised him.

" - the most heroic thing I've ever seen."

Draal couldn't help a smirk. This girl had a fire in her, that was for certain! If the Trollhunter fancied her, he'd best be prepared.

"Can we turn it on?" she asked, running more into the chamber with Toby trailing behind.

"Maybe now's not the best time." Draal smirked, watching as Claire turned in the center of the Forge to take everything in.

"If you want to see it active then you'll have to wait for the Trollhunter," he informed them. "I can't - "

BANG!

Draal jerked backwards a step just as the segment of the floor in front of him separated from the outer ring, as did its mates in turn, and the Soothscryer rose from the center. Then he rapidly had to dodge to the side as one of the swinging blades almost got him. Toby and Claire both were screaming, sliding down the turning panels and scrambling for a hold.

As fast as he could Draal tried to get into position to make a leaping grab for Claire, but at the last second before she would've fallen the platform jerked and began tipping the other way. She twisted around with what to his eyes was a surprising agility and grabbed the edge. A few panels away Toby had managed to catch hold of the edge of his wedge as well, while Aaarrrggghh dashed this way and that trying to find a way to help them without getting killed himself by everything _else_ in the Forge. Draal sprinted to the entrance to the Forge and looked out, spying Bagdwella nearby.

"Bagdwella!" He shouted at her. "Go get the Trollhunter!" She could easily hear the sounds of banging and swinging metal and ran off, as the warrior ran back in. Though he knew it was a pointless endevor Draal slammed his left hand against the right-handed controls once, then twice to no effect, then tried it with his right, metal hand.

Nothing.

He roared in frustration as Aaarrrggghh realized he could do nothing either – even as experienced at these kind of things as he was, the setting was on a _Trollhunter_ -level difficulty – and hovered nearby to whichever one of the two humans he could to hopefully catch them if they fell. Draal was highly considering making an attempt to get to them himself when he heard the Trollhunter's voice calling out to his friends.

"Claire!"

"I'm fine for now. Help him!"

"I swear, I didn't touch anything!" Draal glanced their direction.

"The controls!" He banged his hand against the button again. "This blasted arm."

"There's an manual kill switch inside the Soothscryer! Go, Masster Jim!" called Blinky. Draal, in the back of his mind, understood that the scholar thought there was something wrong with the Forge. Aaarrrggghh wouldn't have turned it on, and Draal _couldn't,_ so for it to activate on his own would mean a mechanical failure. So even with them there the normal controls might fail. The killswitch was the best route.

Huh, his father's old friend really was quite good at strategy!

Armor of Daylight flashing into place, Jim began bounding across the platforms and past the dangers with grace and speed, putting Draal a little bit in awe of the human and reinforcing that yes, Jim son of Barbara was most certainly the Trollhunter. He got to Toby first, who was almost knocked out of his grip by the platform's sudden stopping, then nearly sliced by a blade but for his friend pulling him to safety.

But Claire was now in danger once more as her platform rotated again, leaving her scrambling and her grip faultering. The Trollhunter called for Aaarrrggghh, tossed Toby to the Krubera, then climbed up the gear-like pillars of the Soothscryer's platform and, even as Claire slipped and slid helplessly down the platform screaming, reached into the Soothscryer's mouth and shut the machine off. The gears stopped turning, the wedges of stone returned to their normal positions leaving the girl less than a foot from her doom but otherwise unharmed, the blades slowed and then stopped, and it was over. Though, Draal noted, the Soothscryer's platform remained upraised.

"Is that normal?" Claire breathlessly asked as Toby helped her up.

"Nothing's normal around here," he replied with a knowing smirk as if he wasn't just terrified for his life a minute prior (which Draal knew he had been; the fear scent was still strong on _both_ of them for due reason). "Get used to it, sister."

Abruptly, with an audible hum, the six 'eyes' of the Soothscryer activated! Though those on the ground couldn't see exactly what was going on, the three Trolls in attendance _knew_.

"It's calling to him, at last." Blinky all but breathed, and Draal thought he heard a bit of a tear in the scholar's voice.

Well, that was understandable. Being called by the Soothscryer was the ultimate acknowledgement of Jim's status, affirming his role and acceptance by the Trollhunters gone before. There was a sun-bright, blinding light, Jim cried out in surprise, and then... he was gone.

"Jim? Jim? Jim?" Toby called up in increasingly worried tones.

"No Jim." Aaarrrggghh summed that up quite nicely, though the humans were still alarmed.

Really, did Blinky forget this part of their training?

"What do you mean, 'No Jim?' There definitely was a Jim," Claire protested. All Blinky could say to explain was simply,

"He has been summoned."

0o0

There really was little they could do but wait until the Ghost Counsil concluded their talk with the new Trollhunter. Claire and Toby naturally demanded a more in-depth explaination from Blinky about the whole affair, while Draal leaned back against a pillar and watched the central area of the Forge, where the Soothscryer had now returned to its resting place and the Forge looked as unobtrusive as ever. The warrior Troll barely heard their talk as his mind was on what was happening in the Void Between Worlds.

Draal had often imagined what that place must be like, for though he'd been there Kanjigar had never described it to his son other than so say it was nothing like anything he could imagine, and that even there he, for all his skill and prowess, felt like a warrior first picking up his blade. Humbled, Kanjigar had once called it.

Above all else Draal had wanted to be Trollhunter for _that_ moment alone. For the chance to enter the Void and see it. See the Trollhunters come before him.

See his Father, hear his voice once again.

Draal softly snorted, pushing aside the thoughts once more. That wasn't to be, was not the present, and Jim had proved himself worthy of the honor he was now accepting. Draal glanced at his father's body, where it had remained safe from the chaos before, then forward again as there was a flash of ghostly blue-white light and the Trollhunter reappeared, landing on the ground. They all ran up to him excited to have him back and find out what happened.

"Hey! You're back from the other side, dude!" Cheered Toby.

"Wow!" Mused Claire, "So Trolls and ghosts exist. What's next? _A Midsummer Night's Dream?_ Fairies?"

"Fairies?" Blinky echoed. "Prepoistrious! Faeries lost the war to the pixies centuries ago." Draal had to admit from what he'd learned, that was a very good thing.

Faeries – ug! Not that pixies were much better. Thankfully the scholar got back onto more important things instead of diverting to a history lesson.

"What did they say?"

"They said they won't stop us." Draal frowned.

"What would my father stop you from?" He asked.

"From going into the Darklands. But if we're going in they said the only way we're getting out alive is if we kill Gunmar. And with Strickler gone, maybe we have a chance."

Bold words, but Draal felt a thrill run through him.

Enter the Darklands. Kill Gunmar on his home territory.

End the threat... _forever._

Even if it meant entering the Darklands to do it, Draal had told himself long ago that he would loyally follow this Trollhunter, no matter what, and protect him. And he would keep his Oath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, everyone. I have some sad news for all those who have followed along with this story: It may be going on permanent hiatus. This is not my will, but my husband has found out that a new series on Netflix, Sabrina, has some highly questionable (and if the report is accurate inappropriate) content in it and has thus canceled our account. I do not fault him for this, though it makes me sad that I will lose Trollhunters now. Because of this I do not know how far I can proceed with Through Deadly Eyes, as I will be unable to watch the episodes required to write them. If it is desired I will try to continue, without the episodes to back me up, but that means quite a bit will be ad-libbed, run off of memory/what few clips I can find on YouTube, or altered. And to be honest I feel that this would potentially be a disservice to Draal.
> 
> Note, however: this will NOT stop my other stories! Not in any sense! Trollhunter Lore and all the others will continue, so do not fear for them. It just may be a bit both for my heart to recover from this blow and as I am participating in NaNoWriMo again this year it takes some priority.
> 
> Thank you for following this story; your reviews and enjoyment have been rewarding.


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